WARREN PIECE: Paramedic 'genuinely wanted to help people'
On Thursday, soldiers from the Missouri National Guard's 1175th Military Police Company left behind family and other loved ones on a journey that will keep them away from home for nearly a year.
On March 1, two men died. One man was run over by a car while trying to stop a tip jar robbery at a Starbucks in St. Louis County.David J. Wetter Jr., of Montgomery City, was killed when a car crossed the center line on Highway 100 in southern Franklin County, hit one car in the side and struck his car head-on.
Wetter was a paramedic with the Marthasville Ambulance District. He was 22 years old.
"I think everybody here is coping," said Ken Koch, director of operations for the ambulance district. "It's certainly been a tough week for our service. We only have four full-time employees, so when you lose one it's tough."
The district also has about 17 volunteers, although there is a core group of eight volunteers, he said.
"It was pretty tough on them," he said. "Luckily, we didn't have to respond to his call. The Washington district responded.
"He could have gone in for anything he chose to do and he would have succeeded at it," Koch said. "This isn't just emotions talking, but you couldn't find a nicer kid."
So why did he choose to be a paramedic?
"He genuinely wanted to help people," Koch said. "He simply liked people and enjoyed everyone around him."
During the funeral, the family displayed hundreds of photos and videos of Wetter.
"We looked for pictures or videos where he wasn't smiling - even candid shots," he said. "There were hundreds of them. We eventually found two."
The district office in Marthasville was draped with bunting and the flag was at half-staff during the funeral Thursday. Koch said he was told about 350 uniformed personnel attended the funeral, including law enforcement, firefighters, paramedics and others.
"It was a great recognition for someone who'd been at this just six months," he said.
Wetter died six months to the day after joining the district, but had a big impact on his fellow employees.
"When you live so close to somebody, you get to know them," said Ann Springman, also a paramedic in the Marthasville district. "Honestly, it was always a blast."
If Wetter wasn't laughing or smiling, he was singing, she said.
"He was a big music fan. He was always singing on his way out to a call; he always had music going," she said. "He listened to everything. One minute it would be Frank Sinatra, the next minute it was something hardcore, like this rock band, Mud.
"He'd bring in his guitar and serenade us," she said.
Springman said Wetter was outgoing and high spirited.
"Dave liked to watch the 'Gilmore Girls' with us," she said.
Although he wasn't from the Marthasville area, he embraced the town, Springman said.
"He was adventurous," she said. "We'd do a map training exercise, and he was always up for going exploring."
They explored during down time in case they were called to remote areas. They would explore old roads and find old bridges.
"We'd find big ice formations flowing down a rock wall, and he'd say, 'Oh, we gotta stop. I gotta see that. We gotta stop and take pictures.'"
It's always hard to see someone that young die, especially when they loved life so much.
"He was a heck of a guy," Springman said. "As a partner, he will be hard to replace."
